UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 

UKBANA,  ILLINOIS,  AUGUST,  1909 

CIRCULAR  NO.  131 


HANDLING  OF  CREAM  AND  MAKING  OF  BUTTER  ON 

THE  FARM 

By  Carl  E.  Lee,  Assistant  Chief,  Dairy  Manufactures 


There  is  a  growing  demand  for  instruction  in  handling  cream 
on  the  farm.  This  interest  is  manifested  not  alone  by  those  who 
desire  to  know  how  to  make  good  dairy  butter,  but  by  a  large 
number  of  milk  producers,  who  find  it  more  convenient  and  profit¬ 
able  to  sell  the  cream.  This  circular  is  written  with  the  thought 
of  aiding  the  makers  of  dairy  butter,  by  presenting  more  specific 
directions  for  carrying  on  such  work. 

Dairymen  are  beginning  to  realize  that  butter  of  good  quality 
cannot  be  made  from  cream  produced  under  unsanitary,  conditions. 
If  the  natural,  sweet,  rich  fiavor  of  cream  has  been  destroyed  by 
carelessness  and  neglect,  it  will  be  noticeable  in  the  finished  but¬ 
ter.  There  are  a  few  dairymen  who  care  very  little  about  the 
condition  of  their  cream  or  butter,  as  long  as  it  can  be  disposed 
of,  not  realizing  that  by  carelessness,  they  are  doing  an  irrepar¬ 
able  injustice  to  their  more  painstaking  neighbors. 

First,  it  is  important  that  such  management  be  given  the 
herd  that  the  result  will  be  clean  milk  from  healthy  cows. 


Care  of  Utensies 

Dairy  utensils  should  be  made  of  the  best  grade  of  tin  and 
never  used  for  any  other  purpose.  Wooden  or  galvanized  pails 
are  objectionable.  See  that  all  joints  in  the  pails,  cans,  and 
strainers  are  well  made  and  filled  with  solder.  Cans  with  the  tin 
partly  worn  off  are  not  suitable  receptacles  for  milk  and  cream 
because  they  rust  and  this  condition  imparts  a  metallic  flavor  to 
the  butter.  Utensils  that  come  in  contact  with  milk  or  cream  can 
best  be  cleaned  by  first  rinsing  with  cold  water  and  then  washing 
with  a  brush  and  hot  water.  Washing  powder  suitable  for  use 
in  the  dairy  should  contain  no  grease.  Ordinary  sal- soda  used  in 
small  amounts  is  also  a  good  dairy  cleanser.  After  washing  the 
utensils  with  hot  water,  rinse  thoroly  with  boiling  water  and  place 
them  where  they  will  come  in  contact  with  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun.  In  washing  the  ordinary  five,  eight,  or  ten- gallon  milk  cans, 
be  sure  that  the  inside  of  the  shoulder  of  the  can  is  rubbed  with 
the  brush,  as  this  is  the  most  difficult  part  to  clean.  . 

Utensils  scalded  with  boiling  water  and  left  in  contact  with  it 
long  enough  to  be  thoroly  heated  need  not  be  dried  with  a  cloth. 
Simply  place  them  where  they  will  drain  and  be  exposed  to  the 
sun. 

Skimming  the  Milk 

The  old  methods  of  putting  milk  in  shallow  pans  in  a  cool 
place,  or  in  deep  cans  in  a  tank  of  cold  water,  are  still  in  use,  but 
not  all  the  cream  is  recovered  by  these  methods.  However,  these 
are  more  satisfactory  than  the  so-called  water  separator,  which 
is  nothing  but  a  fraud — a  piece  of  apparatus  deceiving  to  the 
users.  The  same  results  could  be  obtained  with  the  ordinary 
cans  used  in  the  deep- setting  system  by  filling  them  one-third  to 
one-half  full  of  water  and  filling  with  milk,  then  removing  the 
cream  in  the  usual  manner.  By  this  hydraulic  or  water  separator, 
from  one-fifth  to  one-fourth  of  the  butter  fat  is  lost,  skim  milk  of 
low  feeding  value  is  obtained,  and  the  cream  is  thin  and  often 
contaminated  with  all  the  impurities  of  the  water.  The  cream 
will  have  a  watery  flavor  which  leaves  its  effect  in  the  butter. 
The  most  satisfactory  method  of  obtaining  cream  from  milk  on 
the  farm  is  by  the  use  of  a  standard  make  of  hand  separator. 
The  cost  of  such  a  machine  may  seem  high,  but  when  the  amount 
of  butter  fat  is  compared  with  the  butter  fat  obtained  from  the 
same  milk  by  other  methods,  one  can  easily  figure  how  long  it  will 
take  to  save  the  cost  of  the  machine. 


3 


7 

U.  -  /3/ 

C  .  ? 


There  are  several  makes  of  hand  separators  on  the  market. 
The  principle  upon  which  they  do  their  work  is  practically  the 
same,  but  there  is  a  difference  in  their  efficiency  and  durability. 
If  the  farmer  has  a  preference  for  a  certain  make  of  machine,  and 
is  satislied  that  it  is  durable  and  will  do  good  work,  that  is  the 
separator  for  him  to  buy,  but  the  man  who  has  no  preference, 
who  simply  wants  a. good  machine,  should  not  accept  one  that  has 
not  been  thoroly  tested. 

If  the  separator  is  put  in  and  operated,  capacity  tested,  and 
the  skim  milk  tested  for  butter  fat  by  the  agent  or  salesman,  be 
sure  the  machine  is  not  turned  faster  than  the  number  of  revolu¬ 
tions  indicated  on  the  handle  or  stated  in  the  book  of  instructions. 
There  are  machines  that  will  not  do  close  skimming  at  regulation 
speed,  but  will  do  very  efficient  work  at  a'greatly  increased  speed, 
and  this  means  greater  wearing  of  the  running  parts  and  more 
work  for  the  operator. 

General  instructions  for  the  care  and  handling  of  the  hand 
separator  are;  Set  the  machine  perfectly  level  on  a  solid  floor; 
be  sure  that  no  dirt  or  grit  has  found  its  way  into  the  gearing; 
clean  all  parts  thoroly  before  using;  all  the  parts  that  come  in 
contact  with  the  milk  should  be  thoroly  scalded;  oil  the  separator 
each  time  it  is  used  with  only  the  best  grade  of  separator  oil; 
once  a  month  remove  all  gearing  guards  and  examine  to  see  if 
everything  is  working  properly.  If  at  this  time  it  seems  advis¬ 
able  to  thoroly  clean  all  bearings  and  gearing  parts,  kerosene 
applied,  wiped  off,  and  replaced  by  oil  will  materially  lengthen 
the  life  of  the  separator.  If  by  accident  some  milk  should  get 
into  any  portion  of  the  separator,  clean  it  out,  as  it  will  soon  clog 
the  gearings  and  give  an  offensive  odor  to  the  room.  Look  occa¬ 
sionally  to  see  if  the  machine  is  standing  level.  Do  not  think 
that  the  separator  is  a  difficult  piece  of  machinery  to  handle  and 
that  it  is  hard  to  take  care  of.  Follow  the  directions  given  in  the 
book  of  instructions  pertaining  to  your  make  of  machine.  Clean 
the  separator  each  time  after  using,  as  once  a  day  is  not  sufficient, 
and  this  is  best  done  immediately  after  it  has  been  used.  Take 
it  apart,  rinse  well  with  cold  water,  and  then  wash  all  parts  of 
the  bowl  and  tinware  in  warm  water,  using  the  brushes  that  belong 
to  the  separator.  Never  use  a  dish  cloth  or  soap  of  any  kind, 
but  rather  small  quantities  of  sal-soda  or  washing  powder  free 
from  grease.  After  all  parts  are  thoroly  washed,  rinse  in  boiling 
water  and  place  in  the  sun.  Even  the  brushes  used  in  washing 

ILLINOIS  STATE  LIBRARY 


1129  00583  1532 


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should  be  scalded  and  placed  in  the  sun.  During  the  night  leave 
all  parts  in  the  supply  can  without  putting  them  together. 

It  is  best  to  skim  the  milk  immediately  after  milking,  or  while 
it  is  still  warm.  Most  separators  do  their  best  work  with  the 
milk  at  a  temperature  of  from  85°  to  95°  F. 

See  that  the  machine  is  operated  at  full  speed  and  at  full 
capacity.  If  turned  by  hand,  see  that  the  speed  is  uniform  and 
evenly  applied.  Do  not  simply  push  when  the  handle  goes  down 
and  pull  when  it  starts  up,  as  this  is  hard  on  the  separator.  Prior 
to  turning  on  the  milk  supply  and  just  after  separating  is  com¬ 
pleted,  it  is  well  to  run  a  quart  of  water  thru  the  bowl.  The  com¬ 
mon  practice  is  to  stop  turning  and  then  pour  in  the  warm  water, 
but  the  speed  should  be  increased  while  flushing  the  bowl.  Allow 
the  bowl  to  come  to  a  standstill  of  its  own  accord  unless  there  is 
a  brake  attached. 

The  relative  amount  of  cream  to  be  obtained  from  the  amount 
of  milk  skimmed  will  depend  upon  the  breed  of  cows,  the  season 
of  the  year,  and  whether  the  cows  are  fresh  or  advanced  in  the 
period  of  lactation.  The  percent  of  fat  in  cream  varies  as  the 
season  advances,  because  the  milk  does  not  test  the  same  thruout 
the  year.  Other  conditions  being  the  same,  the  richest  milk  is 
produced  on  dry  feed  and  toward  the  end  of  the  lactation  period. 

It  is  best  to  skim  a  cream  that  will  test  from  30  to  40,  or,  in 
other  words,  in  skimming  ten  gallons  of  milk,  one  or  one  and  one- 
third  gallons  of  cream  should  be  obtained.  It  is  not  the  amount 
of  cream  that  is  important,  but  the  amount  of  butter  fat.  If  the 
cream  is  sold  to  a  creamery  where  sampling  for  testing  is  done 
by  weighing  instead  of  measuring,  the  correct  test  will  be  obtained 
whether  the  cream  be  thick  or  thin.  Cream  testing  between  30 
and  40  means  more  skim  milk  left  at  home.  Higher  testing  cream 
keeps  better,  and  naturally  there  is  less  to  transport.  If  a  cer¬ 
tain  amount  of  cream  is  churned  at  home  and  an  equal  amount 
sent  to  the  creamery,  the  number  of  pounds  of  butter  obtained 
will  be  a  trifle  more  than  the  butter  fat  flgured  from  the  test  of 
the  cream  at  the  creamery,  simply  because  the  test  determines 
the  amount  of  butter  fat,  and,  as  a  rule,  under  dairy  conditions 
six  to  six  and  one-fourth  pounds  of  butter  fat  will  make  seven 
pounds  of  butter. 

When  a  separator  is  set  to  skim  a  40  percent  cream,  it  does 
not  mean  that  every  can  of  cream  obtained  will  test  40  percent, 
for  the  percent  of  fat  in  the  cream  varies  with  the  speed  of  the 


5 


f 


-machine,  temperature  of  the  milk,  amount  of  milk  going  into  the 
bowl,  amount  of  water  used  in  hushing  the  bowl,  and,  as  stated 
above,  variation  in  the  test  of  the  milk. 

Care  of  Cream 

As  soop.  as  the  cream  is  separated,  it  should  be  cooled  to  the 
temperature  of  the  well  water.  Stir  occasionally  while  cooling 
in  a  loosely  covered  can.  Never  mix  warm  cream  with  cold,  but 
cool  each  skimming  before  mixing  with  the  cream  already  on 
hand. 

Deliver  the  cream  at  least  three  or  four  times  a  week  in  sum¬ 
mer  and  two  or  three  times  a  week  in  winter.  Do  not  think 
because  it  is  sweet  that  it  is  in  good  condition  and  need  not  be 
delivered. 

The  best  cream  is  usually  received  when  the  farmer  delivers 
it  himself,  and  when  each  farmer’s  cream  is  delivered  at  the 
creamery  or  shipping  station  in  separate  cans.  During  trans¬ 
portation  the  cans  should  be  protected  with  a  cover,  a  wet  blanket 
in  summer  and  a  dry  one  in  winter.  If  the  cream  is  gathered  by 
a  cream  hauler  and  your  cream  is  mixed  with  your  neighbors’, 
see  that  it  is  thoroly  stirred  before  a  small  sample  is  taken  for 
testing. 

Most  farmers  would  deliver  a  better  grade  of  cream  if  they 
had  a  suitable  place  for  keeping  it  until  it  is  delivered.  No  one 
should  attempt  to  keep  the  cream  in  the  cellar  or  in  a  large  tank 
of  water  where  the  daily  pumping  is  not  sufficient  to  keep  it  cool. 
If  a  suitable  place  cannot  be  built  in  a  well-constructed  milk 
house,  the  following  arrangement  answers  the  purpose  quite  well. 

Caring  for  the  cream  at  the  proper  time  by  any  of  the  meth¬ 
ods  given  below  will  result  in  very  little  souring  at  the  end  of 
two  days. 

Make  a  small  water-tight  box  of  two-inch  material  and  of  suf¬ 
ficient  size  to  hold  all  the  cream  cans  necessary  in  handling  the 
cream.  This  box  should  have  a  tight  fitting  cover,  and  be 
divided  into  sections  by  means  of  rods  which  will  prevent  single 
cans  from  upsetting  when  left  alone  in  the  tank.  The  best  place 
for  this  tank  is  in  the  milk  house.  It  may  be  placed  between  the 
well  pump  and  the  stock  watering  tank,  and  in  that  case  another 
box  or  small  house  should  be*built  over  it  for  protection.  All  the 
water  pumped  for  the  stock  should  fiow  through  this  tank,  the 
inlet  discharging  near  the  bottom,  which  will  force  all  the  warm 


6 


water  out  first.  The  overflow  pipe  should  have  one-half  inch 
larger  diameter  than  the  inlet  in  order  that  the  water  may  be 
freely  carried  ofi.  The  water  in  the  tank  should  be  of  sufficient 
depth  to  immerse  the  cans  within  two  inches  of  the  top.  Another 
place  that  would  be  suitable  for  holding  cream  could  be  built  in¬ 
side  the  watering  tank,  or  an  ordinary  empty  kercfeene  barrel 
may  answer  the  purpose.  Burn  out  the  oil  and  bore  holes  for 
the  water  inlet  and  outlet  between  the  second  and  third  hoops 
from  the  top.  Make  connections  the  same  as  for  the  box,  but 
be  sure  the  inlet  water  pipe  is  extended  nearly  to  the  bottom.  It 
is  a  good  plan  to  bore  one- inch  holes  between  the  first  and  second  \ 

hoops  from  the  top  and  place  rods  through  them,  so  the  cans  will  ^  ^ 

not  float  when  partly  filled.  Shelter  this  barrel  the  same  as  you 
would  the  box,  remembering  to  change  the  water  in  the  box  or 
barrel  often  enough  to  have  it  reasonably  cold,  so  that  the  cream 
may  be  kept  at  nearly  the  same  temperature  as  the  water  from 
the  well. 

Ripening  the  Cream  for  Making  Butter 

The  difficulties  and  problems  involved  in  the  handling  of 
cream  for  making  butter  are  so  numerous  and  complex,  it  is  little 
wonder  there  is  a  lack  of  uniformity  in  the  product.  The  trouble 
may  be  due  to  some  one  or  more  of  the  following  causes:  Improper 
handling  of  the. milk  before  it  is  skimrned;  using  the  utensils, 
such  as  pails,  strainers  -and  cans,  for  other  purposes,  and  not 
cleaning  them  thoroly  before  they  are  again  used  as  receptacles 
for  milk  or  cream;  allowing  the  cream  to  stand  in  a  warm,  ill- 
ventilated  room  where  it  becomes  tainted  and  acquires  an  off-flavor 
or  becomes  too  sour. 

It  is  out  of  the  question  to  make  the  best  grade  of  butter  out 
of  cream  that  has  an  off -flavor  or  is  in  any  way  tainted.  Do  not 
think  because  there  is  a  small  amount  of  cream  it  is  not  necessary 
to  churn  more  than  once  a  week,  but  aim  to  churn  at  least  twice  a 
week.  On  a  number  of  farms  where  butter  is  made  the  churning 
days  are  Tuesday,  Friday,  and  market  day  Saturday.  It  is  not 
essential  to  follow  this  rule,  but  in  order  to  secure  a  uniform 
grade  of  butter  it  is  necessary  to  churn  at  least  every  third  or 
fourth  day. 

The  cold  cream,  when  warmed  by  additional  lots  of  fresh, 
warm  cream,  will  sour  quickly,  and  during  the  collecting  period 
it  should  be  kept  as  cold  as  possible  with  well  water.  Each  new 


7 


lot  of  cream  should  be  cooled  to  that  temperature  before  it  is 
mixed  with  that  previously  saved.  The  following  suggestion  has 
been  tried  and  found  to  work  well:  For  holding  the  cream  have 
a  regular  can  fitted  with  a  cover  through  which  the  handle  of  the 
stirrer  may  project.  The  second  can  should  be  smaller,  but  of 
sufficient  size  to  hold  all  the  cream  of  one  skimming.  Cool  the 
cream  in  this  can  before  pouring  it  into  the  large  can,  and  it  is  a 
good  plan  to  leave  the  cream  in  this  until  the  following  milking 
time;  but  the  cooling  should  begin  as  soon  as  the  separating  is 
completed,  in  order  to  check  souring.  Stir  the  cream  occasion¬ 
ally  while  it  is  cooling.  Twenty-four  hours  before  the  time  for 
churning,  the  cream  can  should  be  placed  where  the  cream  will 
warm  to  from  60  to  65  degrees,  in  summer,  and  70  to  75  degrees 
in  winter.  Add  the  starter,  using  from  one  to  two  and  a  half 
gallons  for  every  ten  gallons  of  cream.  In  case  the  cream  has 
not  been  kept  cold  enough  to  remain  sweet,  it  will  not  be  neces¬ 
sary  to  warm  it  for  souring.  After  the  starter  is  added  the  cream 
should  be  thoroly  stirred  •  every  hour  until  it  has  taken  on  a 
sufficient  amount  of  acid  for  churning.  This  can  be  determined 
by  an  acid  test  or  by  the  general  appearance.  It  should  be 
smooth  and  glossy  with  a  clean  acid  flavor  and  aroma.  Under 
favorable  conditions,  this  development  of  acid  is  brought  about 
in  from  six  to  eight  hours.  The  cream  should  then  be  cooled  to 
churning  temperature  and  held  for  at  least  two  hours  in  winter 
and  from  four  to  six  hours  in  summer;  otherwise,  the  butter  will 
come  soft  and  mushy  with  a  correspondingly  increased  loss  in  the 
buttermilk. 

The  following  method  has  been  used  with  success:  At  the 
beginning  of  collecting  period  or  when  the  first  amount  of  cream 
is  placed  in  the  cream  can,  a  small  amount  of  starter  is  added  to 
it,  usually  one-fourth  of  the  amount  of  cream;  in  this  case  the 
development  of  acid  is  going  on  slowly  during  the  time  the  cream 
is  collected.  No  fresh  cream  should  be  added  later  than  twelve 
hours  before  churning.  If  the  cream  is  kept  cold  enough  to 
check  an  over  development  of  acid,  the  above  method  is  satisfac¬ 
tory. 

Frequently  the  maker  of  dairy  butter  experiences  difficulty 
in  completing  churning  in  the  proper  length  of  time.  This 
is  usually  due  to  a  viscous  condition  of  the  cream,  caused  by  using 
milk  from  cows  that  are  nearly  dry;  churning  cream  that  is 
too  thin  or  too  rich  in  butter  fat,  at  abnormal  temperatures;  over- 


8 


crowding  the  capacity  of  the  churn  and  churning  the  cream  from 
the  milk  of  one  cow. 

The  value  of  the  starters  in  making  butter  cannot  be  over¬ 
estimated,  either  on  the  farm  or  in  the  well-equipped  creamery. 
While  butter  can  be  made  from  sweet  cream ,  it  will  not  have  the 
same  flavor  as  butter  made  from  sour  cream.  Souring  of  cream 
is  most  successful  when  controlled  by  means  of  a  clean  flavored 
sour  skim  milk,  or  whole  milk  starter. 

Starter 

To  make  the  starter,  whole  milk  or  skim  milk  may  be  used, 
but  the  latter  is  preferable  because  the  top  of  the  starter  must  be 
thrown  away.  Take  a  certain  amount  of  either,  depending  on  the 
amount  of  cream  to  be  churned  (2  to  3  gallons  to  every  10  gallons 
of  cream).  -Place  this  milk  in  a  covered  vessel  where  it  can  be 
kept  at  a  temperature  of  70  degrees  or  even  85,  if  it  is  desired 
that  it  should  sour  in  a  shorter  period.  At  70  degrees,  as  a  rule, 
it  takes  from  18  to  24  hours  for  it  to  become  thick.  When  the 
starter  is  sour,  it  is  ready  to  be  added  to  the  cream,  but  first  dis- 
card  an  inch  from  the  top.  A  smooth,  glossy  appearance  with  a 
clean  milk  acid  taste  and  aroma  indicates  a  good  starter.  Stir  this 
well  and  add  to  the  cream.  It  is  sometimes  impossible  to  obtain 
a  good  starter  from  the  mixed  milk  of  the  herd.  This  is  especially 
true  in  the  fall  or  when  a  number  of  cows  are  going  dry.  In  that 
case  better  results  can  be  obtained  by  using  a  commercial  starter 
or  by  selecting  several  samples  of  milk  in  perfectly  clean  quart 
jars  and  allowing  it  to  sour.  Select  the  one  that  shows  the  most 
solid  curd  and  the  cleanest  flavor  for  your  starter.  Mix  this  with 
the  desired  amount  of  selected  whole  milk  taken  from  a  cow  that 
is  giving  the  most  milk  or  from  one  that  was  recently  fresh,  and 
allow  this  to  stand  at  a  favorable  temperature  for  a  short  time, 
or  until  it  is  sour  enough  to  use  in  the  cream. 

As  has  already  been  stated,  use  from  two  to  three  gallons  of 
starter  to  ten  gallons  of  cream.  If  the  cream  for  churning  has 
been  obtained  by  setting  the  milk  in  shallow  pans  or  in  the  ordi¬ 
nary  shot  gun  or  Cooley  cans  it  is  usually  thinner  than  the  cream 
obtained  by  the  use  of  the  hand  separator,  and  not  more  than  one 
gallon  of  starter  can  be  used  to  ten  gallons  of  cream.  Best  re¬ 
sults  can  be  obtained  by  churning  cream  that  contains  enough 
butter  fat  to  produce  about  two  and  one- half  pounds  of  butter  per 
gallon  of  cream  after  the  starter  is  added,  or  twenty-eight  per¬ 
cent  cream. 


9 


Churning 

When  the  cream  has  been  held  at  churning  temperature  for  a 
period  of  two  to  three  hours,  it  is  ready  to  be  churned.  This  tem¬ 
perature  should  vary  with  the  season  (summer  52-54°  F.;  winter 
58-62°  P.),  lactation  periods  of  cows,  kind  of  feed  the  cows  are 
consuming,  and  amount  of  butter  churned  per  gallon  of  cream.  Do 
not  fill  the  churn  over  one- third  full,  because  if  more  cream  than 
this  is  put  in  the  churn  it  will  lengthen  the  churning  period. 
The  usual  time  required  for  churning  is  about  30  minutes.  The 
speed  of  the  churn  should  be  uniform  and  fast  enough  to  give 
the  greatest  concussion. 

Churning  should  cease  when  the  granules  are  fairly  uniform 
in  size,  and  have  the  appearance  of  cracked  corn.  There  is  greater 
danger  in  over  churning  than  under-churning.  Draw  the  butter¬ 
milk  through  a  strainer. 

Washing  the  Butter 

When  the  buttermilk  has  thoroly  drained,  sprinkle  cold  water 
over  the  butter,  without  revolving  the  churn,  until  the  water 
comes  out  quite  clear.  Close  this  outlet  and  add  fully  as  much 
water  as  there  was  cream  in  the  churn,  twice  as  much  will  do  no 
harm.  Close  the  cover,  and  revolve  the  churn  about  twenty  times 
and  at  the  same  speed  as  for  churning.  Allow  the  water  to  drain 
out  thoroly.  The  temperature  of  the  wash  water  and  the  but¬ 
termilk  should  be  about  the  same.  It  may  be  necessary  to  have 
the  wash  water  warmer  than  the  buttermilk  in  winter  and  colder 
in  summer.  The  butter  when  ready  to  be  worked  must  not  be  too 
soft  or  too  firm. 

Salting  the  Butter 

When  the  last  wash  water  has  drained  ofi,  sprinkle  the  salt 
solution  over  the  surface  of  the  granular  butter.  The  amount  to 
use  should  be  regulated  by  the  demand  of  the  consumers.  As  a 
standard  the  following  method  will  produce  desirable  results: 
To  every  ten  pounds  of  butter  in  the  churn,  mix  one  pound  of 
dairy  salt  and  two  pounds  of  water.  The  salt  and  the  water  should 
be  mixed  at  least  thirty  minutes  before  it  is  sprinkled  on  the  but¬ 
ter.  Close  the  cover  tightly  and  revolve  the  churn  slowly  about 
ten  times.  The  butter  should  then  be  allowed  to  remain  in  the 
churn  with  the  salt  solution  about  fifteen  minutes  before  it  is 
worked.  If  by  this  method  of  salting  the  desired  i^esults  are  not 


10 


obtained,  vary  the  proportion  of  salt  and  water.  A  certain  amount 
of  water  must  be  present  in  the  churn  with  the  salt,  as  otherwise 
it  will  not  dissolve,  incurring  a  greater  danger  of  streaked  or 
uneven  coloring. 

Estimate  the  amount  of  butter  in  the  churn  by  the  weight  of 
butter  in  the  previous  churning. 

Working  the  Butter 

For  a  large  dairy  the  combined  churn  and  worker  is  prefer¬ 
able,  while  in  the  smaller,  the  “V”  shaped  lever,  or  square  shaped 
roller  workers  give  splendid  satisfaction.  The  butter  can  be  worked 
in  a  butter  bowl  by  means  of  a  ladle,  but  it  is  difficult  and  tire¬ 
some. 

Working  should  be  accomplished  by  pressure  only,  the  slid¬ 
ing  of  the  ladle  or  lever  over  the  surface  of  the  butter  will  make 
it  salvy  or  greasy.  When  the  lever  or  roller  has  passed  over  the 
surface  of  the  butter  once,  turn  the  outer  edge  toward  the  center 
and  on  top  of  the  middle  portion  of  the  butter.  Repeat  this  oper¬ 
ation  until  the  working  is  completed.  Worked  butter  should  be 
compact,  of  uniform  grain,  and  the  salt  evenly  distributed  and 
dissolved. 

A  number  of  dairy  buttermakers  think  that  it  is  necessary  to 
partly  work  the  butter  and  then  allow  it  to  stand  for  several  hours 
before  finishing.  This  need  not  be  done  if  the  granular  butter, 
salt  and  water  in  the  churn  have  been  thoroly  mixed  and  the 
salt  has  partly  dissolved  before  the  working  was  begun. 

The  Package  of  Butter 

Put  the  butter  on  the  market  or  deliver  it  to  the  regular  cus¬ 
tomers  in  a  package  that  is  neat  and  attractive.  The  country  roll 
is  a  thing  of  the  past.  No  one  can  stake  their  reputation  for 
quality  on  that  form  of  package.  The  one  pound  block  print  is 
probably  the  most  popular  package.  The  name  of  the  maker 
stamped  in  the  surface  of  the  butter  or  printed  on  the  outside  of 
the  carton  or  wrapper  signifies  “Quality.”  Aside  from  one  pound 
prints,  pack  the  butter  in  jars  or  standard  fibre  packages. 


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